Posted
by
Unknown Lamer
on Tuesday April 15, 2014 @07:05AM
from the pulitzer-prize-board-added-to-terrorist-organization-list dept.

Late Yesterday, the Pulitzer Prize board announced (PDF) the 2014 Pulitzer Prize winners. The public service prize was awarded to the Guardian and the Washington Post. The Washington Post was given the award for its role in revealing widespread surveillance by the NSA, "...marked by authoritative and insightful reports that helped the public understand how the disclosures fit into the larger framework of national security," and the Guardian for sparking "...a debate about the relationship between the government and the public over issues of security and privacy." Snowden released a statement praising the Pulitzer board: "Today's decision is a vindication for everyone who believes that the public has a role in government. We owe it to the efforts of the brave reporters and their colleagues who kept working in the face of extraordinary intimidation, including the forced destruction of journalistic materials, the inappropriate use of terrorism laws, and so many other means of pressure to get them to stop what the world now recognizes was work of vital public importance.
This decision reminds us that what no individual conscience can change, a free press can. "

Assange merely set up a website allowing people to leak any information anonymously, regardless of the impact, without having to face the consequences. Snowden took measured, deliberate action, releasing information specifically related to our civil liberties, even allowing time for those responsible to come forward before continuing to release information. How does the Collateral Damage video or the multitude of diplomatic cables released over wikileaks compare to just one of Snowden's many revelations?

I wonder where you get that (surely classified) information from and what you deserve for revealing it to the enemy. Yes, chinese and russian spies can read slashdot, and you are revealing secrets here.

And you expect the media to be able to correctly asses the abilities and the inner workings of a secret agency in a foreign country? And not just blindly speculating what could have happened? Does the media read the press releases of the KGB, where the KGB announces his new spy programs?

If there are any new tactics at the KGB and the chinese Zhong Chan Er Bu, they surely will not tell the papers you are reading. And if any american intelligence agency detects new tactics of foreign spy agencies, they won'

Most of the stuff Snowden has released concerns NSA spying on American citizens, not other countries. The few cases released that concerned spying on leaders of other countries were the US's own allies, not our foes. Just how in the hell is Putin gonna use that to strengthen their intelligence apparatus? Russia has made no secret of the fact that they routinely do this while America, of course, has routinely denied ever doing it.

Most of the stuff Snowden has released concerns NSA spying on American citizens, not other countries.

Wrong... Snowden released methods and means of foreign intelligence. People tend to overlook that.Consider his release of information on intelligence gathering on China's Huawei and govt, Yep... he is a traitor.

Sadat I can sort of understand. He did sign the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty (then got assassinated by someone who did not like it). The other guys (Peres, Arafat) signed the Oslo accords which might be horrible in several regards but at least they enshrined some sort of autonomy for the Palestinian Arabs. de Klerk released Mandela and allowed the ANC to run for elections. Kissinger... uh... perhaps the visit of Nixon to China and reopening that connection. I am not quite sure what he's supposed to have done.

Well that's what the propaganda says but in reality they don't have any more stuff than the Washington Post has.Snowden betrayed some corrupt officials for the benefit of his country. Those corrupt officials like to frame things in another way but they showed they are putting themselves before their duty to their country via actions such as lying to Congress.

Considering that part of that was things like industrial espionage of an Indonesian Clove Cigarette manufacturer for the benefit of commercial clients in the USA where presumably kickbacks would be given to someone in US intelligence who gave the job to the Australians - fuck yes. We should not be risking intelligence assets on that shit just so that someone in Washington gets paid a bribe. Since another was Australia's Telstra handing communications data to the NSA and giving full access to some intercon

Is that some sort of petty insult suggesting I'm not a "real" citizen? I am an Australian and envious of the US Constitution that the NSA is spitting on. They have betrayed your country and Snowden caught them at it. They have betrayed my country by circulating information about an Australian intelligence operation on the Indonesian President very widely (in a powerpoint presentation FFS) and Snowden got hold of it.

Since the NSA is such a shambles with outside subcontracting, civilians in roles that sho

Putin's Russia, oddly enough where Snowden now lives, has already been exploiting the information Snowden revealed to strengthen their intelligence apparatus and exploit gaps in those of the West. Snowden doesn't deserve a Nobel but maybe the cover of Time magazine, a distinction he could share with various other notables of ill repute. (Was John Walker or Kim Philby ever on the cover?) On top of that Snowden deserves prosecution.

Maybe next time the NSA decides to go too far and aim for total surveillance of every connected person on the planet, they should remember the downsides of forcing someone to blow the whistle.

Is there any chance that you could remember that thought should your country ever come under nuclear attack or occupation, or you find yourself caught in a terrorist WMD attack, or possibly on a hijacked airliner? Thanks.

Going to Congress would have been responsible. Snowden when far, far beyond being responsible. He betrayed his country in an anti-democratic fashion.

One other thing, the US has started the effort to repair the damage from Snowden's betrayal. It is going to cost billions of dollars and take years. If you are a US citizen you will be paying for that. The US will be vulnerable for probably decades, as will US allies. Going to Congress would have avoided all of that.

The way the announcement phrased it, you'd think the journalists dug out this information on their own, rather than having it dumped in their laps.

This is particularly true in the case of The Washington Post. IIRC, Snowden provided all the raw info, Greenwald at The Guardian did all the journalistic legwork. And The Washington Post was just brought in at the last minutes and handed everything in finished form just to lend some U.S. credibility to the story. The Post's entire contribution was to basically say "Yeah, okay thanks, we'll publish it too." It's like giving a Pulitzer to a paper who just picked up the AP story and published it unaltered.

No he doesn't. Nothing he did promoted any values associated with any current Nobel prizes. Perhaps you should learn what the Nobel prizes are about rather than just spewing 'give him an award' first. You can certainly argue that he deserves recognition if you want, but the Nobel prizes aren't things that just get thrown around...

On that same note, nothing the Guardian nor WaPo did in this case makes them worthy of a Pulitzer. Someone else did all the work for them.

Well, we've only got two thorns for a fact at the moment -- it's kind of sad when you get a Nobel Prize for just doing your job. Kind of like Obama getting the Nobel Prize for Peace for just not being George Bush.

I thought that guy in the Guardian recently had his computer, with the rest of the files he had, apprehended by British security forces who promptly destroyed all the remaining evidence. Oh right there it is [theguardian.com]. They 'voluntarily' destroyed the hard drives in front of the security forces.

...that almost everyone I speak to in real life thinks Snowden is a criminal.

he embodies everything people "say" they value in a democracy, yet they want to put him in jail and throw away the key because, basically, he embarrassed some allegedly criminal senior government officials.

Remember just before Snowden happened, the US were routinely accusing the Chinese and the Russians of exactly the kind of thing, as it turned out, they were themselves doing. If those things are all legal and good, why the fuss?

Even the ones that weren't illegal at all and that were doing a lot of good. Either you are being deliberately ignorant or...well I can't really see it any other way.

Well, how about you enlighten us with a [citation]. So far we know the NSA were spying on their own citizens, illegally spying on their allies and were being helped by GCHQ in yet more illegal spying. The only piece of vaguely positive news I heard from the whole thing was that at least GCHQ were charging the NSA for their nefarious activities

This is going to be tough but George Washington is considered a criminal too and Benedict Arnold is considered a patriot, in England. Because in that country under their laws they are.

Most people still believe in the fairness of our justice system. They probably do not realize the gov would make an example of him. Until there are a few hollywood style movies making him look like a super hero. Most people will

Snowden is a hero, and now he is working to support Russia's effort to protect its people in Ukraine! Soon the Russian Army will complete the liberation of the Russian nationals in Ukraine and all with the help of Snowden! He has tremendously boosted the Russian security services! He is hero to the world!

it is the same with catholic church, "it" did and does everything that is not "Christian", but still is the biggest "Christian" church on the planet...
yeah, stupidity can be fascinating, but mostly it is just sad.

collusion: secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy, esp. in order to cheat or deceive others...

And that's what we have these days between the government and our so-called Public utilities,(notice I don't say OUR government,it isn't ours anymore)

Back when it was the "Bell System", J. Edgar would just "drop a dime" and get any info He needed from Ma Bell,....on a case by case basis.The government broke up the Bell System,In the name of "competition", SBC went around and bought all the Baby Bells, and put